A day in the life of a graduate entry medicine (GEM) student
Hi, I'm Sareen. If you are wondering what a day in the life of a GEM 2 at RCSI looks like, you have come to the right place. This year, all our classes are at Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown, so the typical day looks a little different than it did in first year. Keep in mind, everyone has their own routine, and this one is personal to me, but hopefully it gives some insight into GEM 2!
Morning Routine: 6:00am wake up
I try my best to wake up at 6am to be in the gym by 6:20am for a morning workout. Luckily, my student accommodation has a gym. Starting off the day by moving my body is the best way to keep my mental and physical health steady during the semester. I try not to think about anything related to school during this time, using this as my meditation, although this isn’t always successful. From 7 to 7:45am, I shower and get ready, make a coffee, and head out with my bag full of books (a laptop) and a meal prep I ideally prepared the weekend prior.
Commute: 8:00am bus ride
The bus to Connolly is usually pretty busy in the morning, with majority of the occupants being GEM 2s. It can sometimes feel like a school bus, but it’s a great time to catch up with classmates. Some people like to do their Anki (flashcards) on the bus ride there, but I’m more of a music-listener or chatter myself. I usually aim to arrive 30 minutes before class in case of any unexpected delays, which are ironically usually expected.
Classes & Tutorials: usually 9:00am-5:00pm
Classes will usually start at 9am, but the topics will stay within the same core module topic of the month. For example, we started with cardiology in first semester, so the lectures were all cardio pathology, with some general microbiology and pathology sprinkled in. Every day of the week could look different, especially since tutorials are with smaller groups at different times. Here is an example of what lectures on a Monday in the cardiology module could look like:
- 9am: Case of the Week – Heart Failure & A-fib
- 10am-12pm: Lectures – Infective Endocarditis, ECG interpretation
- 12pm-2pm: Lunch/break
- 2pm-3pm: Peripheral Vascular Disease History taking tutorial
- 3pm-4pm: Cardiovascular Physical Exam tutorial
- 4pm-5pm: IVs & Venepuncture tutorial
Break time: usually around 12:00pm
Depending on what exams are looming, or if you are planning to write the USMLEs, breaks usually consist of a quick bite and straight back to work. Unfortunately, the grind rarely stops. However, I do my best to try and get out of the building occasionally, especially if the weather is nice, to get some fresh air and touch some grass before diving back into studies again. The RCSI building at Connolly has a kitchen and a terrace, which makes it easy to store your meal prep and to see some sunshine on those rare sunny days. Blanchardstown village is also a 10-minute walk from the building, where I sometimes like to walk to get a coffee or explore.
My usual 5:00pm to 10:00pm
Now that the hard part is out of the way, I like to use the bus ride home as a social media break. On a less busy day, I typically get home and eat dinner with friends, where we do our best to talk about anything but school, which is actually a very difficult thing to do with med students. This is followed by an hour or two of studying and then making social media posts for Photo Society or the GEM Welcome Committee, where I’m Head of PR. Sometimes after classes, however, I may need to go to the main campus by St. Stephen's Green for club events, or I go to a salsa class with a friend for fun. I try to head to bed between 10 and 11pm. My nighttime routine consists of skincare and peppermint tea, while I go over my schedule for the following day or talk to my family back home in Canada.
GEM 2 can get very busy quickly, but trusting in your routine and blocking off time in your calendar to do something relaxing is one of the most important things you can do to set yourself up for productive studying.